I just finished reading
The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman. While I do not agree with him 100%, a lot of thought whould be going into his ideas. Some of his positions are not supported enough, but I would highly recommend this book to anyone. Here is my full reaction:
An Open Letter to All College Students (or those 25 and Younger):
I want to preface this letter by saying that though I am a conservative, this applies to Republicans and Democrats, conservatives, liberals, and moderates equally, so listen up. This is my reaction to Thomas Friedman’s The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century.
Globalization is not just an abstract idea discussed in an International Relations/Global Studies course. Globalization is real. It is happening as we speak. Jobs are being outsourced, insourced, and offshored. Is this a bad thing? Yes and no.
In the short term, jobs of workers like our parents may be in jeopardy. They will need to move vertically or horizontally in the workforce through education or moving to a new field to stay ahead of the game.
In the long-term, our generation needs to recapture the spirit of John F. Kennedy. It is all fine and dandy to quote his “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,” but we need to live it. The sons and daughters of the Greatest Generation, the Baby Boomers, stepped up to the challenge of the Soviet Union, and put America ahead. We need to do the same.
China and India are going to catch up to the United States if we do not keep innovating. We need new scientists, engineers and educators to stay one step ahead of the game. We need a workforce that cannot be exported to India or China for as little as one-quarter of the costs. Indian and Chinese wages will eventually begin to catch up, but there are also Russia, Brazil, and any other relatively stable developing nations right behind them. These emerging economic powers are playing free market hardball. As long as the United States stays ahead of the game, however, we can prosper from this “flattening.”
Globalization is going to reshape politics as well. Remember, all politics are local. There is no longer such a thing as “American Jobs,” when someone in Bangalore or Beijing can do them more efficiently and cheaper. There are, however, American workers. They need to specialize and anchor so as to find jobs not easily outsourced. We all need to become high-skill laborers, adapting to the technology that is constantly reshaping how things are done, integrating and simplifying everything.
Globalization is happening whether you choose to ignore it or not. It will happen while we are sleeping, but if we are awake to its power, it can be harnessed and manipulated to our advantage.
